Our kitchen also known as our food laboratory is where we craft our foods for good health and well-being. But did you know that sometimes our kitchen can also become our greatest foe and hindrance in losing weight? Especially, when it contains those sinful junk foods, it’s difficult to turn away from these temptations when you’re storing them in your kitchen anyway.

How do we design our kitchen for it to become clean and free from unnecessary and unhealthy stuff? Here are the top 7 checklist you should inspect to have a clean and healthy kitchen.

1. Put Fruits and Veggies on the Middle Shelf of the Fridge

The moment we open our fridge, the first thing that captures our attention is the middle shelf. This is where we store most of our food so it’s important that we stock it with healthy ones. It will signal your brain to opt for the healthy food rather than grabbing unhealthy ones like junk food at other shelves.

2. Keep a fruit bowl instead of a candy dish.

Our dieters should find this tip easy to apply. After all, dried fruits, fruit candies, and fruit juice are not already allowed in the diet . But in case you’re still eating some fruit candies, make a habit of stacking a bowl that contains whole fruits instead. The fibers and nutrients you get from natural fruits make you feel fuller and satisfied, reducing the risk of binge-eating.

3. Keep your counters bare to avoid mindless snacking

Just like tip#1, we recommend keeping your kitchen counters bare so you can avoid grabbing some chips and other unhealthy food. Or if not, you can fill it with your kitchen utensils to minimize the urge of mindless snacking.

But if you cannot resist yourself filling it with food, opt to stuff it with healthy food and snacks like almonds, nuts. This will keep the tendency to binge-eat at bay.

4. Use Smaller Plates

As we’ve recommended over and over again, take the time to use smaller plates. Using smaller plates (e.g. 10-inch plate) will help you reduce your food portion by 22% than eating on a large, 12-inch plate alone.

The great news is that you can still use smaller plates! The smaller your plate is the bigger chances of reducing your food portions (based on your weight loss goal).

5. Serve Unhealthy Snacks In a Small Bowl

No matter how much we follow the diet religiously, there will always be a time for special events. And it’s certainly okay to celebrate these occasions! Aside from the healthy tips we gave on dealing with these occasions, we recommend you to use smaller plates and bowls when you grab those unhealthy foods.

This will ensure you that you’re enjoying eating those sweets and pastries without worrying about ruining your diet.

6. Turn off the TV While Eating

When you’re eating while watching TV, you will most likely have a divided attention and you won’t be able to monitor your food portion. This distracted eating will then lead to overeating. Turning off your TV, on the other hand, will let you enjoy and focus more on relishing and eating those healthy and delectable foods.

Our brain usually takes 20 minutes before it sends a signal that you’re full. So if you’re focusing on eating slowly, chances are, you’ll be feeling full without going overboard to the foods you’re eating.

7. Carefully Pick Your Colors in Painting Your Kitchen

Just like how colors affect our mood and perceptions in life, colors also associate with the foods we’re eating. If possible, stay away from colors that stimulate hunger. Colors like red (as often seen on fast foods) and orange stimulate appetite and expressed the need to serve foods fast.

Painting your kitchen with colors Green and White, on the other hand, are associated with cleanliness and health. So you are more inclined to eat healthy foods and promote clean eating.

No matter how strong your will to change your lifestyle is, you will always find yourself struggling if your environment is full of temptations. Having a healthy and clean kitchen, on the other hand, will motivate us to continue preparing healthy foods not only for us but also for our family as well.